George f



(No Model.)

G. F. FOLSOM. SNOW GUARD.

No. 602.983. Patented Apr. 26, 11898.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

GEORGE F. FOLSOM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY M.ESSELEN, MANAGER, OF SAME PLACE.

SNOW-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,983, dated April26, 1898.

Application filed $eptember 20, 1895. Serial No. 563,138. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. FoLsoM, of Boston, county of Suffolk,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement-in Snow-Guards, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

My invention relates to snow-guards, and has for its object theproduction of a guard capable of direct attachment to individualroof-tiles, and in particular to tiles of the interlocking type whosecomplicated configuration and close joints render impracticable the useof the common form of guard having an extended straight shank to liebetween the tiles and usually having an attaching portion to be driveninto the roof proper.

The various features of my invention will be fully illustrated anddescribed in the accompanying drawings and specification, and set forthin the claims.

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the preferred form of myimproved snow-guard. Fig. 2 shows in perspective a number of tiles inplace upon a roof with several of my improved guards attached. Figs. 3and 4. are views in front elevation of modified forms of attachableguard, Figs. 3 and 4 being, respectively, side elevations of the same;and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of two adjacent tiles, showing manner ofattaching the modified form of guard, the view being taken on a linecorresponding to a: m, Fig. 2.

M yimproved snow-guard is preferably composed of a single piece of wirehaving at or near its middle a snow-stop loop a), formed by bending thewire upward and around, as at a a a the shanks a a of the wire beingextended past one another in opposite directions to close the loop atits bottom. Near the ends of the shanks, as at a a, the wire is againbent to form the downwardly-extended offset or attaching portions a alying in substantially the same plane with the loop.

In Fig. 2 the preferred form of my guard is shown as applied to a tile1), of the heavy channeled type, provided with perforations or recessesd cl, into which, as sockets, the attaching portions a of the guard areadapted to enter and be snugly held therein.

Between these sockets, with one of which each of the outer ribs d d ofthe tile is provided, the guard extends bridge-like across thetile-channels 01 01 the loop a coming directly over the medial rib Bythis arrangement no obstruction is offered to the natural drainage ofthe roof through the channels (2 d parallel to the pitch thereof 5 butdownward movement of any considerable accumulation of snow, ice, duo. inthe channels is prevented .by the shanks a a, while the reinforced lowerportion of the loop is specially fitted to withstand the force of icecakes or other large bodies which naturally would slide upon the higherparts of the tile.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 to 5 the loop of the snow-stop maybe closed, as in Fig. 3, and formed in like manner to the constructionalready described and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, or the loop may beopen, as shown in Fig. 4., with its upper portion preferably inclinedforward for strength. Legs b b c 0 respectively correspond in themodified form to the attaching portions 0. of Fig. 1, but are longer andare provided with hook-like offsets or clamps Z1 c formed by bending thewire, substantially as at b or o first forward, then upward, as at b orc", in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the snow-stop proper, theportion intermediate being indicated in the respective figures byreference-letters b and 0 To attach this form of guard, no alteration inthe structure of the tile is necessary, the attachment being efiected byapproaching the tile to the guard, so that the downturned shoulders d ofthe overhang d of the tile register with the openings of the clamps 19or 0 which latter are adapted to receive the said lips snugly. The saidclamps of the guard are then drawn firmly into position (see Fig. 5) asfar as they will go upon the shoulders d of the overhang 61 where theguard is held by the natural resiliency of the wire, which, however, issufficiently rigid to enable the upwardly-projecting snow-stop Z2 tohold the snow, (he, in check.

By the term tile I mean the technical tilet'. a, one made of earthenwareor similar tile materialand by the term shoulder I mean such portion ofa tile as is adapted to be engaged by a guard and tohold the sameindependent of the roof or tile support.

I claim- 1. The combination with a snow-guard, of a roof-tile providedwith a shoulder for engagement with and to hold said guard, the latterbeing arranged to engage said shoulder and be held thereby independentof the roof or tile support, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a roof-tile having a shoulder, of a snow-guardprovided with a plurality of integral attaching-clamps adapted toembrace and be solely supported by said shoulder, and having an uprightsnow-stop portion to extend above the tile, substantially as described.

3. As an article of manufacture, a snowg-uard provided with a pluralityof integral attaching-clamps adapted to embrace and be solely supportedby the shoulder of a tile, and having an upright snow-stop portion toextend above the tile, substantially as described.

4. A snow-guard adapted to be directly attached to and rigidly supportedby an individual roof-tile, without preparatory alteration in thecontour of said tile, substantially as described.

5. Thecombination with a roof-tile of usual contour, of a snow-guardattached directly thereto and retained in place solely by superficialcontact therewith, substantially as described,

6. The combination with a roof-tileha'ving a shoulder, of a snow-guardprovided with an integral attaching-clamp adapted to embrace and besolely supported by superficial contact with said' shoulder, and havingan upright snow-stop portion to extend above the tile, substantially asdescribed.

7. The combination with a roof-tile having a shoulder, of a snow-guardprovided with a plurality of integral attaching-clamps adapted toembrace and be solely supported by superficial contact with saidshoulder, and having an upright snow-stop portion to extend above thetile, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a roof-tile having a'shoulder, of a snow-guardprovided with resilient attaching means to receive and embrace saidshoulder, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a roof -tile, of earthenware or other fragilematerial, of a snow-guard adapted to be positioned and retained in placeon said tile without preparatory alteration in the contour of thelatter, substantially as described.

10. A snow-guard for roofs composed of molded tiles; saidguardconsisting of a snowstop portion adapted to extend above the roof, andan attaching portion adapted to enter the recessed portions in, orinterstices between, said tiles, to engage and be supported by suchsalient portions of said tiles as the walls of said recessesor'in-terstices, substantially as described,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE F. FOLSOM.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. EDWARDS, AUGUSTA E. DEAN.

